Atrium plans to spend $1 billion around Charlotte. Here's why it needs to do that.

Atrium Health announced Tuesday a plan to spend more than $1 billion across the hospital system's facilities in the Charlotte area and beyond, a project the system said represents the largest capital investment in its history.

Hospital officials gave few details about the plans, noting that specifics are being finalized. But CEO Gene Woods said the initiative involves investments in technology and state-of-the-art facilities to reposition the system for the next 50 years.

"That's really a significant investment in ourselves and in the Charlotte market," said Woods, who took over the system in 2016. "We've had a really successful run for decades. Now how do we position ourselves for the new future?"

One rendering shown at Atrium's quarterly board meeting, where the plans were revealed, depicted a multistory building to be built at Atrium's flagship campus in Dilworth. Atrium said it might be used as a specialty and subspecialty building housing heart and vascular, trauma and neurological services, as well as possibly a new rehabilitation hospital.